Dia Del Nino

El Dia Del Nino, or Kid's Day (October 1st) is a very big day in most Latin American countries, including Guatemala.  It's similar to Mother's or Father's Day, but for the children.  Iglesia Bautista La Gracia (Grace Baptist Church) had a special event to celebrate this day in Ciudad Vieja.  We asked permission to rent the biggest building for events in the city, but the owner refused to rent it to us - he insisted that we could us it for free!  Members of the church helped divide candy, tracks, and invitations into 100 bags to give to the first 100 children that came.  Rhyan handed out flyers in the park, and we all help set everything up that evening.  When we drove up to the building, there was a line of kids waiting for the program to start!  Over 400 people came!!  We couldn't believe it!  Rhyan performed gospel magic (magic tricks that portray Biblical principles), and gave an invitation.  Over 100 people accepted Christ!  What a great blessing and opportunity for the church in this community!  At least 300 tracks and invitations were handed out as well.  We are so thankful to the Lord for blessing that special day and for all the help from the members of our church!

 

CANDY!

 

Waiting for the program to start!

 

Thanks Joshua Baptist Church and Brother Pickett for the awesome sound system and lapel mic!

 

Giving out candy

 

So many people!!

 

They even went to the second floor!

 

Rhyan doing gospel magic

 

Volunteer from the crowd

 

Prayer Requests Aug-Sept 2012

§  We need a church van!  We would like to purchase a microbus here in Guatemala for several reasons.

1.       Maintenance - They do not like to work on Fords, Chevrolets, and Dodges here. Most mechanics start to wave you away when you pull up in one. It is very difficult to find parts for American vehicles as well. Everything would need to be imported from the USA.

2.       Shape - Our vehicles from the States are just too wide to use in Guatemala. I have already had to sell my Dodge Ram pickup because it would not fit down the street we live on!! A very sad day for me…

3.       Economy - The 4 cylinder diesel engines used here just sip at fuel compared to our gulping V6’s or V8’s.

4.       Price - If we were able to purchase a van in the USA for $3000 dollars, it would cost an additional $1400 to get it from the USA to the border of Guatemala. Then we would have to pay another $2000 to $2500 to import it into Guatemala. The total cost of a $3000 dollar van would be around $6500 to $7000. We can get a good used microbus here for around $4500 to $5500 with a lot less wear and tear on it.

 

If anyone would like to contribute to this cause, you can send the designated funds to our home church – Joshua Baptist Church (P.O. Box 1210 Joshua, TX 76058).  But above all, please pray.

 

§  We are also looking for a building to rent so we can have room for more people in our services.  We would like it to have a sturdy roof, electricity, restrooms, and an area to park the van we pray the Lord will provide. 

 

§  Please pray for more people to be saved and that the church will grow according to God’s will.

 

§  Lastly, please pray for a safe pregnancy and delivery for Lauren and Baby Ian.

 

 

 

Wonderful Week

This has been a wonderful week!  First of all, Lauren's mom came to visit on Tuesday.  We've had a wonderful time with her.  Secondly, we let everyone know that we are expecting our first baby!  We are all very excited about that.  Thursday, Rhyan led a man to the Lord, despite a drunk man interrupting him giving the plan of salvation!  Then today we had a family say they want to join the church next Sunday!  God is so good, and we give Him all the glory for all He is doing here in Ciudad Vieja!

Alba, Timothy, and Sabrina, visitors from another church that have been a huge help to us!

Church last Sunday

Families that attended church last Sunday

Blessings

God has blessed us so much in the last few days.  First of all, Marielo, the lady that got saved a few weeks ago, came to our discpleship class and church service this week!  We pray she will continue to grow in the Lord!  Secondly, our RV has been sold!  Praise the Lord!  We are so excited!  The couple that bought it from us has blessed us more than they can know!  The Lord always works things out.  It wasn't in our time, but it was in HIS time!  We thank everyone for their prayers!

Encouragement

Last week a lady and her son (Alba and Timothy) came from a Baptist church about an hour away to help us go soul winning.  Three people were saved!  They came back yesterday, and one man accepted the Lord!  What an encouragement and blessing!

Newly made....seats and saints!

Praise the Lord....we've had 6 people saved in the last few weeks, and one family has been participating in the discipleship class!  Rhyan has finished building the altar, pews, and podium for the sanctuary!  It's looking more and more like a church (even though it's our living room).  Here are a few pictures to keep you up to date.

 

Reunited with Friends

My first trip to Guatemala was on our one year anniversary.  It was during that time that Rhyan and I won our first family (Andres and Rosa Lydia) to the Lord as a couple on the mission field.  While on our survey trip we became very good friends with them.  When we returned this year, we wanted to get in touch with them very badly, but were unable to do so.  Andres' phone number had changed, and the streets in their town had been altered, so we weren't exactly sure where they lived.  One day last week we were running some errands in Antigua and we heard someone calling Rhyan's name.  It was Andres!  We were so happy to see him!  He said he saw Rhyan's belt buckle a mile away and knew it had to be him!  The whole family came over later that week for supper.  It was so good to be reunited with them, and to know they missed us too!  God is so good! 

Cookies :)



 

Andresito, their precious child with special needs

Sunday May 13th

Our second Sunday was a little disappointing, because only Rhyan and I showed up for church.  But we still had a good time of worship together!  Last Sunday we waited about 30 minutes, and no one came.  We were about to give up when Jose, his family, and two visitors walked in!  We were so excited!  They all said they would come back next week!  God answered our prayers.  Please pray that more people come to hear the gospel!

First Church Service

We are so excited to report that we held the first church service of Iglesia Bautista La Gracia (Grace Baptist Church) last Sunday, April 29th!  We are so thankful for all the prayers that were offered for us.  We handed out over 300 tracks and invitations last week for the opening service.  We have been working with two families for quite some time now, and both of them came to the service!  Rhyan preached on Ephesians 2:8 about God's grace, and "Amazing Grace" was the first special music that was sung.  We also had a great time of fellowship afterward.  We're so thankful for all God is doing, and we pray that He will continue to draw people to Himself and grow the work He has begun.  

Fellowship and food

Relaxing after church

Iglesia Bautista La Gracia

This Sunday, April 29th, we will be holding our first church service in our home!  The name of the new church is Grace Baptist Church.  We are so excited about sharing the message of grace and salvation through Jesus Christ!  The harvest truly is plenteous here in Ciudad Vieja!  Please pray that God will soften hearts and that people will come to the service.  We are looking forward to God doing great things!

Prayer Requests

God has blessed us so much, and He continues to do so every day.  We have a few prayer requests that we'd like to share, because we believe in the power of prayer!

• We lived in an RV while in the states, and we need to get that sold as soon as possible.  We also need to sell our truck that we used to pull the RV.  Not having those payments anymore would definately help our finances!   
• Find a building within our budget where we can start a church
• Please pray that we will be great witnesses to this field in which God has placed us and that the Holy Spirit will soften the hearts of all those we will meet
• Please pray that God will continue to open doors and that His perfect plan will be done in our lives 

We're Back in Guatemala!

Hey everyone!  We have started this new blog to share updates and let everyone know how the Ashcrafts are doing in Guatemala.  It is our prayer that it will be a blessing to you and that God will receive all the glory for everything He accomplishes in Central America through our ministry!